This invention relates to outdoor enclosures for electrical equipment and the like, and more particularly, to a waterproof, gasketless cover.
Electrical equipment such as transformers, relays, etc. which are used outdoors must be protected from rain, sleet, hail, or snow. This is not only to prevent them from shorting out, for example when it rains, but also to increase their life which would otherwise by shortened by constant exposure to the elements, ultraviolet and solar radiation, and so forth. Accordingly, there have long been protective enclosures in which this type of equipment has been housed. And, the enclosures must be accessed for service, repair, or replacement of the equipment. To protect the insides from moisture, the door or other closure had a sealing gasket for effecting a watertight or moisture proof seal when the door was closed. Of course, the gasket was subject to wear as well as being exposed to the elements and, over time, could fail. Once it had failed, the equipment was again subject to the environment. Separate and apart from this problem, gaskets are typically costly and increase the price of the enclosure.
There have been gasketless enclosures for use in housing this equipment. In general, if the electrical equipment is used in relatively benign environments; i.e., the primary exposure is to rain, the enclosure might only have a simple tongue and groove arrangement at the mating surfaces of a base and lid. The basic idea in these constructions is to create such a torturous path that water cannot travel it. If, however, the equipment is subjected to more severe environments, more complex constructions have been used to provide the requisite degree of protection. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,973,797; 4,805,073; 4,675,782; 4,654,470; 4,623,753; 4,291,817; 3,912,348; and 3,467,929. Also see Surface Tension Provides Raintight Seal by Steven Feldman, prepared for the 18th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, 1985. While the various enclosures described in these publications may produce the desired result, they tend to be more complicated, and therefore costly, than may be necessary.